Celtic forward Callum Osmand is determined to carve out his own legacy at Parkhead, following the path of former Fulham products Moussa Dembele, Patrick Roberts and Matt O'Riley, who all became household names during trophy-laden spells with the Hoops.
The 20-year-old has already made his mark, scoring the title-clinching goal against Hearts last season. At the weekend, he tormented the Jambos again with a first-half brace in Celtic's 7-1 rout, in what was remarkably his first senior start.
Battling Back from Injury
After recovering from another hamstring injury, Osmand is now focused on securing a regular place in Martin O'Neill's starting line-up. He acknowledges the high bar set by the Treble-winners he hopes to emulate.
Speaking about his predecessors, Osmand said: "If I could get even close to them, I'd be doing an amazing job. I did speak to Matt before coming up. He gave me a ring. He was at Fulham and I spoke to a few Fulham coaches and managed to get his number and we had a chat."
He added: "He's a great guy. He was telling me about the ins and outs, basically about how crazy it is up here. Then Moussa, I've watched the majority of his goals in there. He was a joke. Have I been in touch with Matt since? No, I probably should message him to be honest, but he's probably a very busy guy. He's got a busy schedule as well, so I'm not surprised."
Versatility and Potential Successor Role
Osmand could start again tonight as Celtic face Celta Vigo in a crucial Europa League clash. A natural striker, he has shown versatility by playing on the left wing against Hearts and Benfica.
He may also emerge as a successor to Daizen Maeda, who left a significant gap. Osmand admires Maeda's qualities, saying: "Now you've said that, Daizen would be probably the main guy that I would - he messages me a lot to be fair. Every time I score he'll message me or every time he scores or does something I'll give him a message.
"He's a really nice guy so he would be one that I would like to mould it off, his running, his running power, and his runs in behind. That is something I admire so that would be someone who I would base it off. It is a big hole to fill for him. He offered a lot to the club and a lot to that position and across the striker position he was brilliant. Like the last seven games, I think he scored in every one. He's been amazing so it's hard to replicate what he brought."
Maeda built his reputation on relentless running and an unrivalled work ethic. Osmand admitted matching those levels is a challenge, joking: "That's a big ask, you know? I don't know if you'll see me yet running back the whole way. I give my all every game, so hopefully if I can get more minutes in the legs I can do something like that."
